Animal-World’s Featured Pet of the Week – The Red Eyed Tree Frog!

Did you know that the Red Eyed Tree Frog, Agalychnis callidryas, changes to several different colors, from different shades of brown to different shades of green! They have fascinating bright red eyes, which suits their name well. They are a fairly popular pet frog, especially among the exotic tree frogs. I used to love looking at them, and my favorite part of taking care of the reptiles and amphibians was watching them jump after and eat their crickets at feeding time!

As far as pet appeal, they have lots! Obviously, they are amazing looking little animals that just about anyone would agree with. They are fairly easy to keep, with some continuous low maintenance requirements. They are nocturnal and usually wake up at night, so when the whole family is home in the evenings they can watch them move about and eat! They do well by themselves or with friends, so you can feel free to keep more than one if desired! They are small (up to 3”) and can be handled carefully if you wish. However, you must wash your hands before handling them, as red-eyed tree frogs absorb many substances through their skin. This is critically important for their well-being to keep them safe and healthy!

They do have some special care requirements that must be noted and brought into action to keep them thriving and alive. The biggest requirement they have is the humidity in their environment. They should have the substrate in their enclosure damp at all times and the whole enclosure should be misted approximately three times a week to keep the humidity between 30% and 50%. There must be adequate ventilation as well, to help keep the humidity and temperature in balance. The temperature should ideally be kept between 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They also do well with tall enclosures that have lots of plants and vines that they can climb on. This is because they are naturally tree dwellers and feel much more comfortable when able to climb up high on plants.

Their feeding should also be taken on with care. Their diet in captivity generally consists of crickets and house flies. Frogs in general can be prone to calcium and Vitamin D3 deficiencies, so it is important to make sure the crickets they are fed have enough of these nutrients in them to nurture the frog. The best way to achieve this is to feed the crickets a “gut load” diet that can be purchased at most pet stores and to dust the crickets with vitamin and calcium powder, also available at pet stores. They also should be provided fresh water every day. Both the water their enclosures are misted with as well as the water in their bowls must be chlorine and chloramine free. These chemicals can harm the frogs. Options to make sure no chemicals are in the frogs water include using dechlorinators in the water or buying purified or distilled water.

As mentioned above, frogs must be fed a proper diet with the correct nutrients. This is because they are prone to a metabolic bone disease which can and will kill them if not taken care of. The best way to avoid this problem is by gut loading the crickets and dusting them with calcium/vitamin powder.

If you think Red Eyed Tree Frog is a fascinating animal and are considering keeping one as a pet, feel free to check out Animal-World’sRed Eyed Tree Frog page for more detailed information!

Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.